Bait trap suggestions

I am trying to get geared up for running lines this Spring and wanted to be able to spend less time trying to catch bait.
Do any of you have any suggestions on perch bait traps that really work? Don't necessarily have to be lake regulations legal as I have a couple ponds i can drop them in.

I've had good luck with clover leaf style traps. Far as bait I've used a piece of Styrofoam along with bread and powerbait. Seems to me once you get a few in more come to investigate. Last year when I went to pull the trap there was a big channel cat watching over it for me, I almost felt sorry for him.

I am trying to get geared up for running lines this Spring and wanted to be able to spend less time trying to catch bait.
Do any of you have any suggestions on perch bait traps that really work? Don't necessarily have to be lake regulations legal as I have a couple ponds i can drop them in.

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Have you ever thrown a cast net? Throw out some bait where you want the perch to be, wait for a little while and throw the cast net. You might catch the big catfish too!

I've had good luck with clover leaf style traps. Far as bait I've used a piece of Styrofoam along with bread and powerbait. Seems to me once you get a few in more come to investigate. Last year when I went to pull the trap there was a big channel cat watching over it for me, I almost felt sorry for him.

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The one I was looking at was a,clover style. What is the deal,with the Styrofoam?

Have you ever thrown a cast net? Throw out some bait where you want the perch to be, wait for a little while and throw the cast net. You might catch the big catfish too!

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It's been a long time since Ithrew a cast net and i wasnt great at it. Don't think my shoulder would like it too well any more. Can't even throw a football more than a couple dozen times without paying for it the next day.

It's been a long time since Ithrew a cast net and i wasnt great at it. Don't think my shoulder would like it too well any more. Can't even throw a football more than a couple dozen times without paying for it the next day.

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You got a boy that is prime cast nettin age. It's a lot more fun watching someone else do it. Even better when they are standin on the front of your boat with the line in there teeth, long story but funny.

You got a boy that is prime cast nettin age. It's a lot more fun watching someone else do it. Even better when they are standin on the front of your boat with the line in there teeth, long story but funny.

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True dat. I can think of several mishaps that could occur with a cast net line in your teeth....

Clover leaf wire mesh trap. Tie a sock or something similar to the middle and we put a little canned dog food in it. Works good. If you can find some back pockets in a creek or river with a lot of perch we will run a seine and catch more than enough with one drag. We find a good spot in the daytime and clean it out for a good seine drag then come back at night when the perch are pushed up into the more shallow water. If you got a pond that's full of greenies you can always catch them with a little jig head and some bit of worms. A few guys going at it you can have plenty in a hurry.

Did my research and took y'alls advice and decided to just build a clover leaf trap. Took some time and a little effort, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Now just to see how it works. I have another one half done and will build one of my own invention, but smaller. Two full sized ones and a smaller one with a 2' X 25' roll of hardware cloth.

Catch a lot of bait, then what you have left over of the small pan fish to little to clean for frying, can be cleaned and pickled in quart jars. My Grandmother used to pickle small fish and they were the bomb. Haven't had these in years, but boy was they good. I need to see if one of my two living Aunts has her ol recipe.

Catch a lot of bait, then what you have left over of the small pan fish to little to clean for frying, can be cleaned and pickled in quart jars. My Grandmother used to pickle small fish and they were the bomb. Haven't had these in years, but boy was they good. I need to see if one of my two living Aunts has her ol recipe.